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[Monocle]

Yeah, I was a casual homophobe up through my teens. Partially from social influences (other kids) and partially because my family implied that homosexuality was abnormal, without directly addressing the subject. (I'm gay, so that screwed me up for a good long while and still affects me now, even though they're as accepting as they know how to be.) I had to shake off those attitudes on my own by reading about gay people's experiences online and finding gay characters I enjoyed in books.

Basically I tumbled backward into humanism after spending a few years learning to identify with others and to appreciate the common humanity people share. At some point I realized people are just people, and you don't have to get hung up on apparent differences. Changing your gut reactions can take a long time, even longer than modifying your core beliefs, but it's possible.

 

[Aaron-Lagann]

I don't really count saying homophobic slurs as prejudice, horribly insensitive and possibly ignorant, but I don't really think it counts as prejudice.

 

[Monocle]

I don't really count saying homophobic slurs as prejudice, horribly insensitive and possibly ignorant, but I don't really think it counts as prejudice.

Homophobic slurs can indicate prejudice, though. If a person thinks gay stuff is gross, that's prejudice. It doesn't always mean they're an awful person who's doomed to a life of hardcore bigotry. Their sense of what's normal might need a tweak or two, that's all. It's about exposure. I mean, when I see straight romance or love scenes or even porn, I don't go "OMFG, eww" or feel repelled, and I think that's because heterosexuality is everywhere I look, in media and daily life. To me it's normal in the sense that it's ordinary.

Anything that seems strange, we can get used to. And we should if we find ourselves disliking people because they make us uncomfortable for no good reason.

 

[MacNille]

Have been to some groups in the past and are prejudiced to some groups today. I don't feel proud about.

 

[Conor_Fool]

I was antisemetic, racist, homophobic, you name it until I was about 13 or 14. I didn't have any reason why except saying/doing things that my friends and I thought were funny. Man, a big regret in my life was a result of my antisemitism. Fucked up.

 

[Aaron-Lagann]

I've never understood antisemitism. That might be because there isn't a huge amount of Jewish people in Oregon, and all of the ones I've met were indistinguishable from every other white person around them, but they don't seem generally different enough to even warrant the hate.

 

[KillGore]

Unfortunately, yes.

I'm still prejudiced towards muslims (I still see it as a very very violent religion, in general). I'm slightly prejudiced against devout christians, ever since I lost my faith.

 

[RangerX]

Nope can't say that I was. I was never exposed to any bigotry or prejudice growing up.

 

[KillGore]

Nope can't say that I was. I was never exposed to any bigotry or prejudice growing up.

It's not always our fault. Sometimes you grow in a place with barely any race, ethnic or religious variation. I've only lived in a place full of white hispanics who are 99% christians, for 25 years.

 

[RangerX]

It's not always our fault. Sometimes you grow in a place with barely any race, ethnic or religious variation. I've only lived in a place full of white hispanics who are 99% christians, for 25 years.

I'm not trying to blame anyone but I grew up in a town in Ireland that was also 99% white and people were generally pretty tolerent of others.I certainly never heard anything outwardly racist or homophobic. I think that US history factors into some of the prejudice there.

 

[Menome]

Growing up with my dad reading the likes of The Sun every day, some of the prejudiced attitudes from that and other tabloid media towards gay people rubbed off a little on me when I was younger. Thankfully my mum was a balancing force for that by being rather blasé about it and just stating that "gay people exist, so what". Although she's rather anti-immigrant, so it wasn't a perfect upbringing.

Great big liberal nowadays though. Sometimes I can catch myself thinking something stereotypical about certain people that's been drilled into me from my upbringing, but I can recognise that and make a logical, informed choice to push that thought away as it's a falsehood.

Spoiler

When I was three years old and first met a black person, I asked if he was made of chocolate.

 

[SmokyDave]

Yeah, definitely. I still hold a few prejudices here 'n' there, though they don't affect my behaviour in any way.

I'd struggle to believe anyone that says they've never held any prejudice in their life.

 

[DJMicLuv]

Absolutely not!
I was right not to trust 'the Welsh'.

 

[KillGore]

I'm not trying to blame anyone but I grew up in a town in Ireland that was also 99% white and people were generally pretty tolerent of others.I certainly never heard anything outwardly racist or homophobic. I think that US history factors into some of the prejudice there.

It can happen anywhere. I'm not from the US.

 

[GeordieMark]

People seem to be thinking of prejudice in terms of the biggies like race, religion, and sexuality, but who here can honestly say they've never formed an opinion on something they didn't really understand or based on a stereotype?

I think everyone is prejudiced in one way or another about something at some point in their life. It could be something like WoW players, 'jocks', 'geeks', 'hipsters', or fans of a certain sports team.

It almost impossible to remain 100% un-prejudiced on every subject.

 

[kinggroin]

As a young teen I hated the gays. Really really hated them.

Reason? I was thought to be one myself by folks who believed that me not cutting my nails or talking about girls all the time was evidence to support their suspicions. This lead to teasing.

Today? I don't harbour any ill will towards homosexuals and would never vote to impede their civil liberties. I try to love all my brothers and sisters I share this planet with; praying for the ones that make it harder to do that and praying for myself to not make it harder for others to love me.

Edit: Reading a comment a bit up a ways, I may in fact still be prejudiced. I find gay sex and sensual activities between gay men to be repulsive and uncomfortable respectively.

Still got a ways I guess.

 

[bro1]

Growing up I had zero prejudice. As an adult, I do have some prejudice towards African Americans. I'm cognizant of it and over come it, but I would be lying to myself and others if I didn't know I had it.

Oh and the Irish. Seriously, no Irish! Bunch of potatoe eating drunks.

Spoiler

no Irish

 

[JBourne]

I used to be antisemitic. I would go around with my friends and we would wait outside a synagogue and wait for the prayers to end. Once they came out we would walk slowly behind them and slowly whisper "jew jew.... Jew... Jew.. “ this is when I was in the middle east.

Damn, dude. That's messed up.

 

[Currygan]

Growing up I had zero prejudice. As an adult, I do have some prejudice towards African Americans. I'm cognizant of it and over come it, but I would be lying to myself and others if I didn't know I had it.

Oh and the Irish. Seriously, no Irish! Bunch of potatoe eating drunks.

Spoiler

no Irish

lol, this reminds me of that The Boys issue with the Irish bartender not allowing Irish people in his bar

 

[6.8]

I'm prejudiced against the people that say they have no prejudices at all because they are lying.

 

[kinggroin]

lol, this reminds me of that The Boys issue with the Irish bartender not allowing Irish people in his bar

The Boys in general. Fuck.


What an amazing comic.

 

[Gormless Noodle]

I'm prejudiced against the people that say they have no prejudices at all because they are lying.

This. This very much. It's one of the biggest rots in society. Not acknowledging and understanding it creates a grotesque amount of problems across the board.

 

[Currygan]

The Boys in general. Fuck.


What an amazing comic.

oh wow, a fellow fan! I've never met one besides me, nice meeting you man.

sorry for the OT

 

[Kangi]

Struggled with some mild Islamophobia in my younger years, likely brought on by my surroundings. It was always an internal struggle and not something I was ever comfortable with being, and I grew out of it quickly.

Nowadays, I care only about what people do, and not who they are. I was always like that, I suppose, but it took me a while to find where I place religion on that.

 

[Nodnol]

Used plenty of derogatory slurs growing up, but only out of ignorance rather than specific attack of a certain pocket of society. Certain words were/are used so frequently their meaning gets lost somehow and it's "just an insult". It's easy when you're a kid to lose sight on what it is you're actually saying and what you're actually implying.

Wouldn't say I have any prejudices now, I don't think. Sometimes I'm quick to judge or stereotype a person based on social class though.

 

[Faiz]

I mentioned this in a other thread: I was pretty homophobic as a teenager. I said some pretty atrocious things and it's mortifying to look back on it. Mainly changed in college when there were more gay people in my social circles. I remember one friend talking to me about it - knowing I was fairly conservative he wanted to make sure I knew he was gay and that we were ok. As it happens I did know, only because I'd seen him on IRC hanging around a gay channel, but he really thought I was clueless, because he knew I was pretty conservative and he wasn't used to people with conservative leanings treating him like a normal person. That's been 20 years and we're still friends.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

Never in a way that targeted a particular demographic, gender, religion or something similarly large. Endlessly being segregated or isolated from my peers, it wasn't something that came to me, though it could have developed into a general hatred of others. Still, I have certain prejudices on a micro scale, like thinking people with a lot of tattoos like to go to parties and probably consume drugs/alcohol. Not too sure that fits the bill, but it's stuff like that.

 

[Gustav]

Of course. And I still am.

 

[Agnostic]

I'm prejudiced against the people that say they have no prejudices at all because they are lying.

Hey, keep quiet! Let's watch people lie to themselves.

 

[Sylver]

Yes and still am.

 

[King Cobra]

Yes, and for the most part I still am.

 

[God Dayumm]

People seem to be thinking of prejudice in terms of the biggies like race, religion, and sexuality, but who here can honestly say they've never formed an opinion on something they didn't really understand or based on a stereotype?

I think everyone is prejudiced in one way or another about something at some point in their life. It could be something like WoW players, 'jocks', 'geeks', 'hipsters', or fans of a certain sports team.

It almost impossible to remain 100% un-prejudiced on every subject.

Yes, I have this kind of prejudices. I never act on them however.

 

[Kraftwerk]

This. This very much. It's one of the biggest rots in society. Not acknowledging and understanding it creates a grotesque amount of problems across the board.

I'm prejudiced against the people that say they have no prejudices at all because they are lying.

Everybody is prejudiced in some way and its laughable that some people think they aren't.

And we always will be until we start understanding what prejudice is instead of just focusing on certain areas of prejudice.


Exactly.

Just understanding this on a personal level(and I mean properly taking the time to think about it on a regular basis, not just on a surface level) is a huge step towards eradicating(or at least minimizing) prejudiced attitudes in general.

You don't kill a weed by plucking the stem.

Everyone has been at some point in their life and everyone still is to a degree. Be it from a cultural perspective to an individual perspective. Aside from the seriousness of this topic, look at how many poster will go ahead and disregard someone by saying that they must have a "neck beard" or they're a "hipster". Point is, prejudices aren't just bond to skin tones, ethnicities or religious beliefs, but also apply to how you might judge someone by the way they dress, talk, smell, etc... without actually knowing them.

This happens every single day. You probably remember the BMW/Jacked up Truck/1989 model station wagon... that cut you off and made a judgement of the driver based on the vehicle type, not just their idiotic actions.

Again, I don't want to down play the seriousness of the common working definition of what prejudice is, but rather it's human nature to judge people off of petty things.

I don't think anyone is claiming to be perfect, I did point that out in my OP. Everyone has flaws,. I didn't know how else to word the title.

Also, I know people like to say shit like "damn hipster", but in every occasion I have encountered it it's more of a friendly jab or a sarcastic remark. I honestly don't know many people who actually hate hipster, geeks etc.

I mean, there is a monumental difference between someone saying "damn hipster!! while shaking their fist as a joke Versus someone saying "fucking fa**ots".


Also, what is the point of this comment;

Hey, keep quiet! Let's watch people lie to themselves.

People are here talking about something that is very hard to talk about, yet they are still sharing their experience in order to educate others. You waltz in here and make that snarky comment.

Nobody is lying to themselves here.

 

[.GqueB.]

I recently went to my account on youtube and noticed that they actually archived all of your comments. I used to say A LOT of fucked up shit. Mostly homophobic and I used to word "fag" a shit ton. In the grand scheme of things this was very recently but I've changed now. Stuff like that still crosses my mind though here and there. Always quick to judge myself when it happens.

These days, I do make rather shitty assumptions about people within my own race.

 

[Dice//]

I was. I wasn't vocal about it, just had a bad opinion of certain races.

But I've changed a lot more; realizing a lot of people are assholes more than anyone race or group. High school changed me a lot too, getting involved with groups that were made up of extremely mixed ethnicities and religions you realize it's foolish.

I still think people who go for sex changes are real strange and find it kinda (sorry) icky (surgery in general creeps me out though). But it's a way more personal thing than I can understand and makes the person who goes through with it happy.

 

[Gustav]

I think you should have asked "Were you a bigot?", OP. People here seem very confused.

 

[Kraftwerk]

I think you should have asked "Were you a bigot?", OP. People here seem very confused.

Probably. English isn't my first language, I actually had a really hard time coming up wit ha title.

 

[The Albatross]

I'm not trying to blame anyone but I grew up in a town in Ireland that was also 99% white and people were generally pretty tolerent of others.I certainly never heard anything outwardly racist or homophobic. I think that US history factors into some of the prejudice there.

How about something against, say, gypsies?

--

I definitely used to say every bad thing in the book. I'd justify it later to say that I didn't mean to use them to disparage a group of people, that the words had a different meaning, but that's bull shit. Took me a while to stop using those words... I really committed to it once I had a real job and career because I realized that if I used those words around my close group of friends, one day I would let it slip in a wider group. It's a selfish reason that I broke away from that language.

In terms of prejudice, though, I definitely still have prejudices and I just have to admit it. When somebody is driving like an idiot on the road, I always look at them and expect to see a foreign-looking person or a woman talking on her phone. When that's confirmed I say something like, "eh, typical" to myself. When it's not confirmed, I don't really shift that bias, I still continue to do it. It's not right, I shouldn't have that expectation, but I certainly still do. When I smell a horrible waft of cologne at work, I expect it to be one of the Eastern Europeans. When I walk through a dangerous neighborhood late at night, I am cautious, keep my head down, walk quickly, keep a hand on the pocket with my phone and wallet in them. These are prejudices. I could probably shake the first two, but I don't think I'd want to shake the last one.

 

[Grym]

unfortunately yeah. I grew up in an extremely non-diverse community. Thinking back at some of the words I used as a child without thinking about it is very embarrassing to me now. Honestly at the time however, they were meaningless (to me) since I never knew people who those slurs purportedly described.

I guess it started to change in high school where my worldview and media intake began to broaden dramatically and I began to understand a little bit that these weren't just swear words or exclamations but actual specifically targeted hurtful things to say. And then I went to college. In a very diverse city I met and befriended people of all stripes and from all portions of society (whether it be racial, sexual, class-based, religious, whatever...these were people I had never encountered before personally). It was then that those 'meaningless' words and joking insults took on actual real world meanings.

I guess I realize now that (at least as a child) it is easy to repeat some word you heard that has no real bearing on anyone around you. But having had that experience , today I could never assign a slur or prejudice to a 'person-type' I've never met before because my experience has taught me better than to think and judge like that.

 

[kamorra]

Yeah, definitely. Not that I like it. But I don't believe anyone can deny this.

Case in point.

I used to be antisemitic.

You're lucky people gave you a second chance.

 

[MercuryLS]

I am to some degree. I won't lie, I've been uncomfortable around "gangsta" black people and have assumed the worst in the past. Overall I try to give people a fair shake regardless of their race or sexual orientation. If I like someone I like someone, if I don't I don't.

 

[Mully]

Absolutely. I was an ignorant teenager and said some things I regret now.

 

[SniperHunter]

People don't know this, but India is very racially diverse country. The lighter your skin colour the better you are treated. The place where I grew up, the darker Indians usually lived in huts and worked as servants, while the lighter Indians attended private schools and lived lavishly.

When I was young, I used to hate the darker Indians. My parents hired this young servant girl to take care of us and I simply hated her. I didn't even want to touch her. One really sad event I remember; we celebrate this festival called "Rakhi" where a sister ties a string on her brother's wrist for good luck or whatever. Girls at school or the neighbourhood also tie rakhi just to flirt with the guys. So that servant girl came to our house and she wanted to tie a rakhi on my hand. I was absolutely disgusted. I was clearly a racist back then. Looking back I can remember her smiling face and the disgusting thoughts in my head.

My racism only went away when I moved to Toronto, Canada. First day of school, a black guy introduced me to the school and the class. He was very nice to me, but I was still racist. I got beat up a few times for making fun of black guys at school.....I met a lot of good black Somali guys within a few months and I really started liking them. I was ignorant and my ignorance was eliminated once I moved to Canada.

 

[andycapps]

Yes, unfortunately. I'd rather not talk about it, it's really not anything I'm proud of. Probably not horrible to most people, but the ignorance I had when I was younger is shameful now.

 

[Vicetrailia]

Nah, but there is an exception. I've always been fascinated by other peopes and cultures quite honestly as if it's innate. Always had an open mind about things I didn't understand except for religion (at the time), which I now understand to be fascinating and innately important (even as an atheist myself).

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Yessir..in my early years/teens until about twenty-something. It was born from being called nigger and fighting on a daily basis in the 5th grade. Before that, I was down with everyone. I just couldn't take the hate and violence directed towards me for something that I couldn't help..my color. It turned me into one of the worst shits on the planet.

The anti gay stuff all came from the usual places..family, church, friends..the unholy trinity. When I started working as a bouncer on south beach, I was introduced to many a gay dude/chick who were cool as shit, down to earth people..they just like shit I don't like lol.

All that is in my past..for the most part. There's actually a group of folks I can't stand..because they treat me different until they find out I can speak Spanish..fuck people like that..I want nothing to do with them.

 

[DJMicLuv]

I wish homophobia was literal.
Homophobe sees gay person and runs screaming to cry in the corner instead of beating people up.

 

[Fracas]

When I was like 13, I'd say the stereotypical preteen awful stuff. Fag, retard, etc. Probably doesn't mean much, but I don't recall actually being against queer folk or people with mental disabilities. I'd say it was a combination of my moronic young mind and the rural Kentucky environment I grew up in but I don't know. I just know that I was perpetuating awful things.

I'm straight up mortified that I ever said that and regret it everyday. My dad is a garden variety redneck (we're total opposites) and is an open racist. I've talked to him before there's no changing it. I'm extremely grateful I didn't inherit those traits from him.

 

[ishibear]

Nope.

 

[Cagey]

As a kid, sure, made all the same jokes. Grew out of that.

Still prejudice against upper-middle class, well-to-do, suburban white people. My fiance says I have class issues.